Performance of the Charniak-Lease parser on biological text using different training corpora

POS tagging is used as the first step in many NLP workflows, although the accuracy of tag assignment frequently goes unchecked. We hypothesize that changing the training corpora for a parser will affect its POS tagging of a target corpus. To this end we train the Charniak-Lease parser on the WSJ corpus and two biomedical corpora and evaluate its output to MedPost, a POS tagger with a reported 97% accuracy on biomedical text. Our findings indicate that using biomedical training corpora significantly improves performance, but that minor differences in the biomedical training corpora have a significant effect on the correctness of POS tagging. Specifically, the tagging of hyphenated words and verbs was affected. This work suggests that the choice of training corpora is crucial to domain targeted NLP analysis

Effects of Feed Restriction on Lipid Dynamics and Reproduction in Northern Bobwhites

High annual and prenesting mortality rates (0.46-0.95) in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) compel these birds to devote extraordinary effort and resources to reproduction. Bobwhites exhibit reproductive behavior characteristic of rapid multi-clutch and ambisexual polygamous mating systems. To better understand the physiological basis of the bobwhite\u27s high reproductive capacity, we studied effects of restricted food intake on lean mass, lipids, and egg laying. We fed 48 bobwhites 3 levels of food intake including ad libitum (100%), and 60% and 80% of ad libitum. After 15 weeks of this protocol, we switched treatments for 50% of the birds in each treatment. Lipid levels were similar for 60% and 80% groups, but significantly greater for the 100% group. Egg laying was markedly depressed and delayed in food-restricted groups. Comparing quail in the 60% and 80% groups, the latter appeared to catabolize body lipids in order to lay eggs. Egg production rates (eggs bird- 1 day- 1) were 0.7 for 100% quail, 0.18 for 80% quail, and 0.03 for 60% quail. After switching treatments, subgroups allotted ad libitum food quickly recovered. The 60% and 80% subgroups reached constant egg production (0.6-0.7 eggs bird- 1 day- 1), and with lean mass and lipid levels (9.8%-13.9% of wet body mass) within 10 days of ad libitum feeding. We discuss partitioning of endogenous reserves for reproduction and importance of exogenous energy in quail ecology

Hydrologic Influences Within a Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetland

2012 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Exploring Opportunities for Collaborative Water Research, Policy and Managemen

The Political Economy of Myanmar's Transition

This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY ASIA, 07 Feb 2013, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00472336.2013.764143.Since holding elections in 2010, Myanmar has transitioned from a direct military dictatorship to a formally democratic system and has embarked on a period of rapid economic reform. After two decades of military rule, the pace of change has startled almost everyone and led to a great deal of cautious optimism. To make sense of the transition and assess the case for optimism, this article explores the political economy of Myanmar's dual transition from state socialism to capitalism and from dictatorship to democracy. It analyses changes within Myanmar society from a critical political economy perspective in order to both situate these developments within broader regional trends and to evaluate the country's current trajectory. In particular, the emergence of state-mediated capitalism and politico-business complexes in Myanmar's borderlands are emphasised. These dynamics, which have empowered a narrow oligarchy, are less likely to be undone by the reform process than to fundamentally shape the contours of reform. Consequently, Myanmar's future may not be unlike those of other Southeast Asian states that have experienced similar developmental trajectories

Dual-Frequency Resonance-Tracking Atomic Force Microscopy

A dual-excitation method for resonant-frequency tracking in scanning probe microscopy based on amplitude detection is developed. This method allows the cantilever to be operated at or near resonance for techniques where standard phase locked loops are not possible. This includes techniques with non-acoustic driving where the phase of the driving force is frequency and/or position dependent. An example of the later is Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM), where the resonant frequency of the cantilever is strongly dependent on the contact stiffness of the tip-surface junction and the local mechanical properties, but the spatial variability of the drive phase rules out the use of a phase locked loop. Combined with high-voltage switching and imaging, dual-frequency, resonance-tracking PFM allows reliable studies of electromechanical and elastic properties and polarization dynamics in a broad range of inorganic and biological systems, and is illustrated using lead zirconate-titanate, rat tail collagen, and native and switched ferroelectric domains in lithium niobate

Responding to the Challenges of Gifted Education in Rural Communities

There are both achievement and opportunity gaps for low-income students when compared to their economically advantaged peers; and, for rural students, these gaps may be even more pronounced. In this manuscript we draw from our ongoing work in a five-year federally-funded, Jacob K. Javits grant focusing on promoting gifted education in rural schools. To address issues of under-identification of gifted students in these settings, and to investigate ways to maximize achievement, we established an alternative process for identifying gifted students in rural schools; and we created units integrating place-based pedagogy within an evidence-based curriculum model as an intervention. Finally, we discuss preliminary findings from the pilot year and first half of the second year of the study documenting success in augmenting the pool of identified students and engaging teachers in implementing the curriculum. Perhaps more importantly, we document lessons learned and more global takeaways for the field. Specifically, we discuss the influence of deficit thinking with regard to rural schooling (and subsequent recognition of gifts and talents), the risk of generalizing rural to all rural places, and the nuances of rural poverty not captured in commonly used metrics, such as Free and Reduced Lunch

The lived experience of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: a phenomenological inquiry

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is a complex, medical device for the management of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) that has gained popularity due to reported improvements in metabolic control and flexibility. Despite the growing number of CSII users, there is limited research exploring the everyday experiences living with this device. The purpose of my study was to understand the lived experience of adults using CSII therapy to manage T1DM. Accounts of lived experiences from eight individuals were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analysed using Max van Manen’s (1990) hermeneutic approach to phenomenology. Four substantive themes with supporting subthemes were identified including transitioning: not a quick fix; CSII: making an invisible illness visible; the internal struggle and impact on mental health; and, the impact on relationships and the meaning of support. Viewed together, these themes and subthemes represent the essence of participant experiences; that is, living with CSII eventually took ascendancy over managing T1DM. This research is one of few qualitative studies that explores the lived experience of CSII and has significant implications for healthcare professional practice, education, research, and policy and administration

Intracellular DNA Damage by Lysine-Acetylene Conjugates

Previously, we reported the design and properties of alkyne C-lysine conjugates, a powerful and tunable family of DNA cleaving reagents. We also reported that, upon photoactivation, these molecules are capable of inducing cancer cells death. To prove that the cell death stems from DNA cleavage by the conjugates, we investigated intracellular DNA damage induced by these molecules in LNCap cancer cells using single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assays. The observation of highly efficient DNA damage confirmed that lysine acetylene conjugate is capable of cleaving the densely compacted intracellular DNA. This result provides a key mechanistic link between efficient DNA cleavage and cytotoxicity towards cancer cells for this family of light-activated anticancer agents